Device for heating switches and the like



'1. GREAER DEVICE FORHEATING SWITCHES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICUON FILED MAYa, 192|:

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET 1. \/Q\' y U I NTO/Q. v

1. GREEK.

uEvl'cE Foa HEATING SWITCHES ANp.THE LIKE;

APPLICATIN FILED MAY'3192I.

1,388,997. Panmg. 3o, 19'2'1.

2 SHEETs-SHFET 24 UNITED fsTjATi-:sv

JAMES' GEEEET or Hoiso'KEiv, NEW JEEsEv.

DEVICE EQEEEATTNG SWITCHES AND THE LIKE.

, 'specification br Letters Patent.

Patented Aug, 30, v1,921.

Application lei May 3, 1921. Serial of 466,541.

TooiZZ whom it may concord:` i Beit known thatI I, JA-MEsGnEER, a v citi-` zen of the United States, residing at Hoboken,.in the county vof Hudson and State. of

New Jersey;- have .invented 'a `new iand uscful Improvements in'Device's for` Heating Switches and the like, of'whi'ch the follow,-

` 4in A isa specification.A

ing iailroadjswitches and the like to .prevent snow and ice from interfering withthe operation theieof The objects of the invention are .to provide ii device'of this kind'which can be' [readily operated so that thel melting of snow and.A

ice is greatly facilitated and a largeamount of labor is saved; also to provide a deviceof this kind `which projects the"y liquid directly Aupon the parts -to be heated,gand. consequently requires acomparatively. small amount of infiammable liquid to produce the Zles. f

desired result; also to provide a: device of this kind witha pilot light which ignites the liquid discharged fiom'the. device; also to provide a device of this` kindv which is pars ticula'rly `adapted for use .with` low flash liquids; also toimprove theciistruction of devices of this kind in other respects hereinafter specified. I

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is aside elevation'of thejheat'- ing'device embodying the invention. l

Fig. 2 is a` fragmentary side elevation thereof, partly in section,` on `an enlarged scale, showing the pilot burn'ef.

Fig. 3 is a. fragmentary side elevation thereof showing one of the discharge no'zf l 'v The inflammableliqui'd flows from thetank Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectionalelevation thereof on line 4-45 Fig. 2. l Fig. 5 is a topplan view of aswitch showing the device installed thereon.

. Liquids having. low flash points have'here-v t'ofore been used formeltingfsnow and ice on switches, manhole covers and the like,

but theser liquids have heretofore been appliedto the'part tolbe heated by means cfa can or container having a burnerv which ignitesthe liquid as it is poured from-the can. The invention hereindescribed is particu.

' larly desirable when used in connection with railroad yards lhaving a large number' of I ing or distributin `switch heating devices though not necessarily provided with pilot A burners which arearranged in operati-ve relhis invention relates' todevices for beati',V

' includes a pipe lline connected with a-`s uit'- 'able supply of iniiaminable liquid and having a pluralityof liquid-projecting, spray- I devices lone of these devices being instal ed on each switch. .The

are preferably,

lation.,l to the-discharge nozzles' lfor the in- -iiammable liquid so that, the pilot burners. :ignite the liquid as it is discharged from' the.- v nozzles.` switch-,it is onlynecessary to open for an in- Conseqiiently., in' order to heat a terval oftime, a valve connecting the liquid .spraying device for the particular switch astorage tank or'reservoir for 'the liquid, which may be arranged .iniany desired posi tion4 relatively to the switches. In casethe the various `liquid. projecting devices by gravity. On the other hand, if the tankis not located .at a sufficientheight, the liquid vtherein. may bedischarged^from` the tank 4tank is arranged suicientlyhigh'above the,` track level, the liquid may be discharged to by means of .air `pressure admitted jto' the tank by a pipe B receiving air from any suit A K able source of, pressure, for. example, from a -high -pressure pipe line I) which isconnected with the pipe B Ythrough the medium of a pressure reducing valve or the like ZJ.

to a supply line 0,' the flowtti the Isupply line being controlled. by suitable valvesgc. Thisv 'supplying'liquid to the projecting devices of 'the several switches may `be employed *I 1' Each liquid-projecting device comprises" one o r more distributing pipes E arranged in l i supply line may lead tothe various switches proximity to the parts of the switch and each `Vof these pipes is provided at intervals with discharge nozzles F kfor the. inflammable' liquid. Two distributing pipes are ,employed in the construction. shownz and are arranged' at opposite sides of the switch and connected by means of a connecting pipe e which is preferably arranged underneath the" tracks and out of contact therewith so that if theliquid will pass to the connecting or distributing pipes.

The discharge or projecting nozzles F may be of any suitable construction, those shown in the drawings each consisting of a small pipe or nipple f which is provided with an orifice through which the liquid is discharged. The nipple is connected by any suitable pipe connections such, for example, as two standard Ls f .f2 to aT or coupling f3 forming a part of the pipe E. The discharge nozzles may be arran ed in any desired position to project the liquid where it is most needed, most of the nozzles shown being arranged to direct the'jet of liquid crosswise of 'the rails toward -the middle of the track, and l the nozzles are preferably arranged substantially midway between the ties X` so that the jets of liquid will be directed into the spaces between the'ties rather than upon the ties themselves. Discharge nozzles of any other suitable construction may be provided.

The distributing pipes E of the liquidprojecting devices may be supported from the track in any desired manner, supporting brackets G being preferably employed, which may be spiked or otherwise secured to the ties X. These brackets are provided at their upper portions with apertures or eyes g through which a distributing pipe may pass, and the pipe is preferably supported in the desired position relatively to the brackets by means of set screws g and g2, Figs. 2 and 4.

' In this manner the distributing pipes can be readily adjusted to the desired elevations.v

These pipes and the discharge nozzles F are preferably arrangedto discharge the jets of liquid to the tops of the rails, so that liquid will flow d own or along the surfaces of the rails and will heat all portions thereof.

The liquid discharged from the nozzles F may be ignited in anyk desired manner, the

liquid'used being highly inlammableso that the ignition of the liquid discharged from one of the nozzles will readily cause the ignition of liquid discharged from all of the nozzles. VVhile the device may be used without vany special means for igniting the liquid, yet

it has been found desirable to provide pilot burners in operative relation to some of the nozzles so that it is possible to operate the switch heating device by merely opening the,

valve al .for a short interval of time. .Inthe construction shown for this purpose, a plu- 'rality of pilot burners H is provided which are arranged at opposite ends, of the pipes E.

Each of the pilot burners includesa base orV i reservoir 7L provided with threaded bosses or `projections L and ft2 to which the various lburner proper is arranged at the top of the reservoi'r 71, and in the construction shown inJ cludes a screw -cap h3 having a threaded engagement with the upper end of the reservoir it and having a short pipe or tube it* extending upwardly therefrom. Within the pipe 71,4 is arranged a wick h5 which may be made of any suitable material and 'which extends below the tube h4 into the reservoir h.. If de sired, the lower end 'of the wick may be arranged in a screen or container la. which holds the 'wick substantially centrally in the reservoir it andprevents the wick from interfering with the How of liquid through the reservoir k. I

In order to make certain that the pilot burnerV -will ignite the liquid discharged by the various nozzles, the following construction is preferably employed. A pipe or tube I is connected to one of the threaded bosses of each reservoir It and is provided at its upper end with a dischar e nozzle z' adapted to direct a jet of infiamma le liquid through the j fiame of the wick 7i5 andtoward the other dischar e nozzles of the heating device. The jet wil be discharged from thel ignition nozzle 'z' only when the fluid is supplied to the device under pressure' and will throw a stream of burning liquid near enough to the jets discharged from the nozzles F to ignite the liquid discharged therefrom. In the construction shown, two pilot burners are ar. ranged at opposite ends of the connecting A.pipe e at the outsidev of the rails and two other pilot burners are arranged at the opi dered inoperative by the accumulation of ice or snow. By means of this arrangement the pilot burners are located at four different points so that ignition of the liquid discharged from all of the nozzles is insured, regardless of the direction and force of the wind. Any other arrangement of the pilot burners with Areference to the liquid-project ing device may, however, be provide The various pipes of the switch-heating device may be connected to any desired* threaded lugs of the reservoir h and those lugs which are'not necessary for pipe connections may be closed by the usual plugs or other means (not shown). .e

In the operation .of the device, if the same has been out of use for an interval forming a reservoir for :fuel and arranged in proximity to a switch, means for supplyling'fuel under pressure to said reservoirgjand a nozzle also connected with said supply means and arranged to proj ect a jet of liquid through the flame of said pilot burner and on said switch.

1 1. In a device for heating switches, the combination of a pilot burner having a base forming a reservoir for "fuel and arranged in proximity to a switch, means or supplying fuel under pressure to said reservoir, a pipe leading upwardly from said reservoir, and a nozzle on said pipe arranged to direct a jet of liquid through the flame of said pilo burner and on said switch.

12. In a device for heating switches, the combination of a pilot burner having a base forming a reservoir for fuel and arranged in proximity to a switch, means for supplying fuel under pressure to said reservoir, a pipe leading upwardly' from said reservoir, a nozzle on said pipe arranged to direct a jet of liquid through the flame of said pilot burner ando'n said switch, and a plurality v of nozzles receiving liquid from said supply means and arranged to project liquid on said switch, said last mentioned nozzles propecty ing liquid toward the jet projected from said first mentioned nozzle, whereby l the liquid projected :from all of'said nozzles is ignited.

13. In a device for heating switches, the combination of 'distributing pipes extending ,lengthwise of a switch, nozzles on said pipes and adapted to direct liquid on the switch, pilot burners at opposite ends of said pipes.

and nozzles adjacent to said pilot burners ,and arrangedto project liquid through the, flames of said pilot burners and toward the reservoirs, and liquid supply pipes which arealso connected to said reservolrs.

15. In a heating device, the combination .of a main supply pipe, a supply of inflammable liquid connected with said main supply pipe, branch supply pipes, distributing pipes arranged adjacent to the parts to be heated, nozzles in said distributing pipes for directing liquid to said parts, valves in Saidbranch pipes and arranged at a distance from said arts for controlling the flow of liquid to said nozzles, and an ignition device for igniting the liquid discharged from said dstributing pipes.

16. In a heating device, the combination of means for distributing liquid on the parts to be heated, and a pilot burner for igniting the distributed liquid, said burner including a base portion forming a reservoir for iniiammable liquid, a wick extending into said base portion, a pipe connected to said base portion and extending upwardly therefrom, and-a discharge nozzle on said pipe adapted to project a jet of liquid through the flame on said wick.

- JAMES GREER. 

